Method And Apparatus For Handling Peers With Dynamic IP Connectivity Status In Peer-To-Peer Networks

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for communication in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network are provided. The method comprises a first peer in the P2P network selecting a primary Internet Protocol (IP) address from a plurality of IP addresses associated with the first peer. The method further comprises the first peer providing the primary IP address to a second peer as an address the second peer is to use in initiating communication with the first peer. The apparatus comprises a user equipment (UE) that includes a processor configured such that the UE selects a primary IP address from plurality of IP addresses associated with the UE and registers the primary IP address in the P2P network.

BACKGROUND

As used herein, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” might in some casesrefer to mobile devices such as mobile telephones, personal digitalassistants, handheld or laptop computers, and similar devices that havetelecommunications capabilities. Such a UE might consist of a device andits associated removable memory module, such as but not limited to aUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) that includes a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) application, a Universal Subscriber IdentityModule (USIM) application, or a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM)application. Alternatively, such a UE might consist of the device itselfwithout such a module. In other cases, the term “UE” might refer todevices that have similar capabilities but that are not transportable,such as desktop computers, set-top boxes, or network appliances. Theterm “UE” can also refer to any hardware or software component that canterminate a communication session for a user. Also, the terms “userequipment,” “UE,” “user agent,” “UA,” “user device” and “user node”might be used synonymously herein.

As telecommunications technology has evolved, more advanced networkaccess equipment has been introduced that can provide services that werenot possible previously. This network access equipment might includesystems and devices that are improvements of the equivalent equipment ina traditional wireless telecommunications system. Such advanced or nextgeneration equipment may be included in evolving wireless communicationsstandards, such as long-term evolution (LTE). For example, an LTE systemmight include an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network(E-UTRAN) node B (eNB), a wireless access point, or a similar componentrather than a traditional base station. As used herein, the term “accessnode” will refer to any component of the wireless network, such as atraditional base station, a wireless access point, or an LTE eNB, thatcreates a geographical area of reception and transmission coverageallowing a UA or a relay node to access other components in atelecommunications system. An access node may comprise a plurality ofhardware and software.

A traditional telecommunications network typically includes a pluralityof central components that act as controllers and coordinators forcontrol plane and user plane traffic to and from the clients in thenetwork. A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a distributed communicationsystem, wherein the nodes act as peers, configured to perform bothclient and server functions. As used herein, the terms “peer”, “node”,and “peer node” might be used synonymously. P2P network architecturesmay be self-organizing, with peers joining and leaving at any time. P2Pnetworks therefore have the ability to link heterogeneous networkenvironments, such as the internet, ad-hoc networks, and home networks,and may realize highly scalable, extensible, and efficiently distributedapplications. As there are no centralized network control entities, P2Pnetworks handle functions such as call switching and data routing in adistributed manner, for instance, via defining an overlay networkstructure and implementing an overlay routing protocol.

P2P networks may be managed or unmanaged. An unmanaged P2P network isfully decentralized, with all peers configured to function as bothclients and servers to the other nodes on the network. On the otherhand, a managed P2P network may comprise at least one peer actingtemporarily as a server, which is managed by the network operators orP2P service providers.

Due to the dynamic structure of P2P networks, each peer is configured tomaintain a connection table and to track information on other peers. Theconnection table may comprise information such as, for instance, nodeidentifier and Internet Protocol (IP) address. If the information on anynode in the connection table changes, the other peers may update theirrespective connection tables.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a P2P network architecture.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a P2P network connection table.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a P2P network environment with aplurality of IP network interfaces.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a call flow diagram for an unmanagedP2P network.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a call flow diagram for a managedP2P network.

FIG. 6 illustrates a processor and related components suitable forimplementing the several embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implementedusing any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence.The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, includingthe exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and describedherein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claimsalong with their full scope of equivalents.

In a P2P network, a peer may be coupled to a plurality of radiointerfaces, such as, for instance, a peer in a mobile environment. Apeer coupled to at least one radio interface may have a dynamic IPconnectivity status, and may have a plurality of IP addresses availablefor communication. For example, a UE may be associated with an IPaddress obtained in a cellular network and associated with another IPaddress obtained in a Wi-Fi network. Another example is a UE connectingto multiple packet data networks (PDNs), where an IP address is obtainedfor each PDN. The availability of a plurality of IP addresses may offerseveral advantages such as, for instance, a higher data transmissionthroughput and/or uninterrupted service in case of a user's mobility, asthe UE may dynamically switch radio links. However, in an environmentwhere the availability of radio interfaces may dynamically change,tracking all available IP addresses in the connectivity table mayrequire frequent updates of the table entries. For example, in the caseof short range radio interfaces, the IP addresses associated with a UEmay often change. Frequent connectivity table updates may not only beinefficient but also power consuming, which may shorten the battery lifeof the UE.

According to one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a mechanismfor handling of nodes with dynamic IP connectivity status, such that thenumber of connection table updates is reduced when a plurality ofavailable communication channels for data transmission are utilized.Also disclosed herein are systems and methods for handling peers in aP2P network, wherein a peer may have a dynamic IP connectivity statusand may be associated with a plurality of IP addresses. A peer mayselect one of a plurality of IP addresses as the primary IP address andregister the primary IP address in the network. That is, the peer mightprovide its primary IP address to other peers in the P2P network. Allother available IP addresses associated with that peer may be considerednon-primary IP addresses for that peer.

In an embodiment, a peer in an unmanaged P2P network may choose itsprimary IP address according to criteria such as, for example, networkstability or user preference. In another embodiment, a peer in a managedP2P network may receive network operation policies from a server peerthat specify the primary IP address the peer is to use. In yet otherembodiments, a combination of these selection criteria might be used.For example, the server peer may impose a plurality of restrictions onthe selection of the primary IP address, and the peer may combine itsown selection criteria, such as user preference, with the server peer'srestrictions.

In an embodiment, the peer may use the primary IP address in thesignaling or call setup stage of a call session. In the datatransmission stage, the peer may continue to use its primary IP addressto transmit data and/or it may use at least one non-primary IP address.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a P2P network 100, which maycomprise a plurality of P2P nodes 110. Each P2P node 110 may function asthe client and/or as the server, and communication between peers may bebased on mutual trust. A P2P node 110 may join the network or leave thenetwork at any time. Each P2P node 110, for example node 110 a, maymaintain a connection table which tracks information on other P2P nodes,for example nodes 110 b-g. A P2P node 110 may be configured to send aplurality of messages to any another P2P node 110 either directly or viasome intermediary P2P nodes 110 using an overlay routing protocol suchas, for instance, the Chord protocol. Routing information may bediscovered by broadcasting an inquiry message to a plurality of P2Pnodes 110.

In an unmanaged P2P network, all P2P nodes 110 may act as servers and asclients. In a managed P2P network, at least one peer of the P2P nodes110, for example node 110 a, may act as a server peer. The server peermay offer services such as, for instance, monitoring and optimizingnetwork topology, efficient routing information discovery, multicastgroup management, and security enhancement. The server peer may provideto other peers network information, such as network operation policiesfor P2P communication between corresponding P2P nodes 110.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a connection table 200 used by, forexample, the peer node 110 with node identifier ‘a’ in the P2P networkin FIG. 1. Each entry in the connection table 200 may compriseinformation on a peer such as a node identifier, the primary IP addressassociated with the peer, and other available non-primary IP addressesassociated with the peer. The node identifier may be a unique identifierassigned by the network, for example via a P2P overlay protocol such asthe Chord algorithm. A peer may select its primary IP address, andregister said primary IP address in the network. In an embodiment, thepeer notifies other peers of changes in its primary IP address but mayor may not notify other peers of changes in its non-primary IPaddresses. The other peers may update only the primary IP address ofthat peer in their respective connection tables 200.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a P2P network environment wherein a UE310 may be coupled to an IP network 320 via plurality of radiointerfaces, and the UE 310 may have a plurality of IP addressessimultaneously available for communication. The UE 310 may be equivalentto one of the nodes 110 of FIG. 1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3,the UE 310 may be coupled to at least one long range radio interface viaa long range access node 330. An example of a long range radio interfacemay be a cellular network. The UE 310 may obtain from the long rangeradio interface a long range IP address 340. The UE 310 may further becoupled to at least one short range radio interface via a short rangeaccess node 332 a-b. An example of a short range radio interface may bea wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network. The UE 310 may obtain from theshort range radio interface a first short range IP address 342.

The availability of IP addresses may change dynamically. For example, asthe UE 310 moves around, it may lose the connection with the short rangeaccess node 332 a, and the first short range IP address 342 may nolonger be reachable. If the UE 310 couples to another short range accessnode 332 b, it may acquire a different IP address 344. If peersconnected to the UE 310 update their respective connection tables everytime a short range IP address changes, the battery lives of the peersmay be shortened. On the other hand, the long range IP address 340obtained from long range access node 330 may be more stable, and updatesof that address 340 may occur less frequently.

In an embodiment, a peer in an unmanaged P2P network, coupled to atleast one long range radio interface via a long range access node, mayselect a long range IP address as its primary IP address. In anotherembodiment, a peer in an unmanaged P2P network may select its primary IPaddress based on criteria such as address stability or user preference.For example, a peer might select as its primary IP address the IPaddress obtained in a cellular network because of the wide coverage ofthe cellular network. On the other hand, a peer may select as itsprimary IP address the IP address obtained in a Wi-Fi network for costreasons.

In an embodiment, a peer in a managed P2P network may receive networkoperation policies from a server peer, and the peer may select theprimary IP address in accordance with the network operation policiesreceived from the server peer. The server peer may specify constraintson allowable primary IP addresses. For example, a peer may select itsprimary address from a list which has been narrowed down by a serverpeer based on the network operation policies. Alternatively, the networkoperation policies may specify only one primary IP address for the peer.The peer may register the primary IP address in the network, and theother peers may update only the primary IP address of the peer in theirrespective connection tables, and may not keep track of the non-primaryIP addresses.

In an embodiment, two corresponding peers may notify each other of theirrespective primary IP addresses in the signaling stage. Thecorresponding peers may notify each other of further availablenon-primary IP addresses in the data transmission stage. Thecorresponding peers may further notify each other of changes in theiravailable non-primary IP addresses in the data transmission stage.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a call flow 400 for an unmanagedP2P network. The flow 400 may comprise a signaling connectivity setupstage 420, a data connectivity setup stage 430, a data transmissionstage 440, and an address update stage 450. The flow 400 may begin atstep 422, where a peer (Peer A) 410 may send an AppAttach message to adestination peer (Peer D) 418. It is assumed that Peer A 410 has alreadyregistered with the network and, therefore, that the other peers in thenetwork are aware of the primary IP address of Peer A 410. The AppAttachmessage may be routed to Peer D 418 via an overlay routing protocol, viaa first neighbor node (Neighbor Peer B) 412, a P2P overlay 414, and asecond neighbor node (Neighbor Peer C) 416. The flow 400 may proceed tostep 424, wherein Peer D 418 may send to Peer A 410 the primary IPaddress of Peer D 418. The flow 400 may continue to step 426, whereinPeer A 410 and Peer D 418 may perform a connectivity check for signalingto make sure that they can reach each other directly. Next, at step 432,Peer A 410 may send to Peer D 418 a set comprising at least one IPaddress that may be used for data transmission. The set may comprise theprimary IP address of Peer A 410 and/or at least one other IP addressassociated with Peer A 410. If a plurality of IP addresses are provided,the priorities of the addresses could be based on the preferences ofPeer A 410. The messages can be carried by any application layerapplication protocol.

Similarly, Peer D 418 may send to Peer A 410 a set comprising at leastone IP address that may be used for data transmission. The set maycomprise the primary IP address of Peer D 418 and/or at least one otherIP address associated with Peer D 418. The flow 400 may then proceed tostep 434, wherein Peer A 410 and Peer D 418 may perform a connectivitycheck for data transmission to make sure that they can reach each otherdirectly using the available IP address pairs. At the data transmissionstage 440, Peer A 410 and Peer D 418 may exchange user data. The flow400 may continue to step 452, wherein Peer A 410 may optionally provideto Peer D 418 at least one updated IP address. Next, at step 454, Peer A410 and Peer D 418 optionally perform a connectivity check for datatransmission.

As an example of the call flow 400, Peer A 410 may be coupled to acellular network and to a Wi-Fi interface, while Peer D 418 may becoupled to a fixed network. At step 432, where a set comprising at leastone IP address for data transmission is exchanged, Peer A 410 may sendto Peer D 418 its primary IP address obtained from the cellular network,such as the long range address 340 illustrated in FIG. 3. Peer A 410 mayalso send to Peer D 418 a non-primary IP address obtained from the Wi-Finetwork, such as the short range address 342 illustrated in FIG. 3. PeerD 418 may send to Peer A 410 its primary IP address obtained from thefixed network, such as the long range address 340 illustrated in FIG. 3.When data transfer begins between Peer A 410 and Peer D 418, anycombination of these addresses might be used.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a call flow 500 for a managed P2Pnetwork. The flow 500 may comprise a server peer communication stage520, a signaling connectivity setup stage 530, a data connectivity setupstage 540, a data transmission stage 550, a update request stage 560,and an address update stage 570. The flow 500 may begin at step 522,wherein a peer (Client Peer A) 510 may send a join request message tothe server peer (Peer B) 512. It is again assumed that Peer A 510 hasalready registered with the network and, therefore, that the other peersin the network are aware of the primary IP address of Peer A 510. Peer B512 may send a join answer message 524 to Peer A 510. The message 524may include IP connection policies together with other information forPeer B's joining procedure. Alternatively, the IP connection policiesmay also be preconfigured locally at Peer A 510. In such a case, thereis no need for Peer B 512 to provide such policies. The flow 500 maythen proceed to step 532, wherein Peer A 510 may send an AppAttachmessage to destination Peer D 518. The AppAttach message may be routedto Peer D 518 via an overlay routing protocol, via Peer B 512, a P2Poverlay 514, and a neighbor node (Neighbor Peer C) 516. The flow 500 mayproceed to step 534, wherein Peer D 518 may send to Peer A 510 theprimary IP address of Peer D 518. The flow 500 may continue to step 536,wherein Peer A 510 and Peer D 518 may perform a connectivity check forsignaling to make sure that they can reach each other directly. Next, atstep 542, Peer A 510 may send to Peer D 518 a set comprising at leastone IP address that may be used for data transmission. The set maycomprise the primary IP address of Peer D 510 and/or at least one otherIP address associated with Peer A 510. If a plurality of IP addressesare provided, the addresses could be provided based on the received IPconnection policies as well as Peer A's choice. The messages can becarried by any upper layer application protocol.

Similarly, Peer D 518 may send to Peer A 510 a set comprising at leastone IP address that may be used for data transmission. The set maycomprise the primary IP address of Peer D 418 and/or at least one otherIP address associated with Peer D 518. Next, the flow 500 proceeds tostep 544, wherein Peer A 510 and Peer D 518 may perform a connectivitycheck for data transmission to make sure that they can reach each otherdirectly using the available IP address pairs. At the data transmissionstage 550, Peer A 510 and Peer D 518 may exchange user data. The flow500 may continue to step 560, wherein Peer B 512 may optionally send anupdate request to Peer A 510 to update the IP connection policies. Theflow 500 may continue to step 572, wherein Peer A 510 may optionallyupdate the IP address due to policy change while the session is active.Next, at step 574, Peer A 510 and Peer D 518 may optionally perform aconnectivity check for any new IP address.

As an example of the call flow 500, Peer A 510 may be coupled to acellular network and to a Wi-Fi interface, while Peer D 518 may becoupled to a fixed network. At step 524, Peer B 512 may send to Peer A510 a plurality of restrictions on allowable IP addresses. Peer A 510select from its available IP addresses those which comply with the setof restrictions obtained from Peer B 512, and then use only thoseselected IP addresses for data transmission. At step 536, where a setcomprising at least one IP addresses for data transmission is exchanged,Peer A 510 may send to Peer D 518 a primary IP address obtained from thecellular network, such as the long range address 340 illustrated in FIG.3. Peer A 510 may further send to Peer D 518 a non-primary IP addressobtained from the Wi-Fi network, such as the short range address 342illustrated in FIG. 3. Peer D 518 may send to Peer A 510 its primary IPaddress obtained from the fixed network, such as the long range address340 illustrated in FIG. 3.

The access node, UE, and other components described above might includea processing component that is capable of executing instructions relatedto the actions described above. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of asystem 600 that includes a processing component 610 suitable forimplementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. In addition tothe processor 610 (which may be referred to as a central processor unitor CPU), the system 600 might include network connectivity devices 620,random access memory (RAM) 630, read only memory (ROM) 640, secondarystorage 650, and input/output (I/O) devices 660. These components mightcommunicate with one another via a bus 670. In some cases, some of thesecomponents may not be present or may be combined in various combinationswith one another or with other components not shown. These componentsmight be located in a single physical entity or in more than onephysical entity. Any actions described herein as being taken by theprocessor 610 might be taken by the processor 610 alone or by theprocessor 610 in conjunction with one or more components shown or notshown in the drawing, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 680.Although the DSP 680 is shown as a separate component, the DSP 680 mightbe incorporated into the processor 610.

The processor 610 executes instructions, codes, computer programs, orscripts that it might access from the network connectivity devices 620,RAM 630, ROM 640, or secondary storage 650 (which might include variousdisk-based systems such as hard disk, floppy disk, or optical disk).While only one CPU 610 is shown, multiple processors may be present.Thus, while instructions may be discussed as being executed by aprocessor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, orotherwise by one or multiple processors. The processor 610 may beimplemented as one or more CPU chips.

The network connectivity devices 620 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet devices, universal serial bus (USB) interface devices,serial interfaces, token ring devices, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) devices, wireless local area network (WLAN) devices, radiotransceiver devices such as code division multiple access (CDMA)devices, global system for mobile communications (GSM) radio transceiverdevices, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)devices, and/or other well-known devices for connecting to networks.These network connectivity devices 620 may enable the processor 610 tocommunicate with the Internet or one or more telecommunications networksor other networks from which the processor 610 might receive informationor to which the processor 610 might output information. The networkconnectivity devices 620 might also include one or more transceivercomponents 625 capable of transmitting and/or receiving data wirelessly.

The RAM 630 might be used to store volatile data and perhaps to storeinstructions that are executed by the processor 610. The ROM 640 is anon-volatile memory device that typically has a smaller memory capacitythan the memory capacity of the secondary storage 650. ROM 640 might beused to store instructions and perhaps data that are read duringexecution of the instructions. Access to both RAM 630 and ROM 640 istypically faster than to secondary storage 650. The secondary storage650 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives andmight be used for non-volatile storage of data or as an over-flow datastorage device if RAM 630 is not large enough to hold all working data.Secondary storage 650 may be used to store programs that are loaded intoRAM 630 when such programs are selected for execution.

The I/O devices 660 may include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touchscreen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches, dials, mice, track balls,voice recognizers, card readers, paper tape readers, printers, videomonitors, or other well-known input/output devices. Also, thetransceiver 625 might be considered to be a component of the I/O devices660 instead of or in addition to being a component of the networkconnectivity devices 620.

In an embodiment, a method for communication in a P2P network isprovided. The method comprises a first peer in the P2P network selectinga primary IP address from a plurality of IP addresses associated withthe first peer. The method further comprises the first peer providingthe primary IP address to a second peer as an address the second peer isto use in initiating communication with the first peer.

In another embodiment, a UE in a P2P network system is provided. The UEcomprises a processor configured such that the UE selects a primary IPaddress from plurality of IP addresses associated with the UE andregisters the primary IP address in the P2P network.

In another embodiment, a UE in a P2P network system is provided. The UEcomprises a processor configured such that the UE receives a primary IPaddress from a peer in the P2P network, stores the primary IP address ina connection table associated with the peer, and uses the primary IPaddress in communicating with the peer.

In another embodiment, a node in a managed P2P network is provided. Thenode comprises a processor configured such that the node receives atleast one network operation policy from a server peer in the P2Pnetwork, and configured such that the node uses the at least one policyin selecting a primary IP address to be used by at least one peer in theP2P network in communicating with the node.

In another embodiment, a node in a managed P2P network is provided. Thenode comprises a processor configured such that the node sends at leastone network operation policy to a peer in the P2P network, the at leastone policy usable by the peer in selecting a primary IP address to beused by at least one other node in the P2P network in communicating withthe peer.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limitedto the details given herein. For example, the various elements orcomponents may be combined or integrated in another system or certainfeatures may be omitted, or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled orcommunicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicatingthrough some interface, device, or intermediate component, whetherelectrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes,substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in theart and could be made without departing from the spirit and scopedisclosed herein.

1. A method for communication in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network,comprising: a first peer in the P2P network selecting a primary InternetProtocol (IP) address from a plurality of IP addresses associated withthe first peer; and the first peer providing the primary IP address to asecond peer as an address the second peer is to use in initiatingcommunication with the first peer.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the first peer providing to the second peer at least oneadditional IP address from the plurality of IP addresses as an addressavailable to the second peer for use in communicating with the firstpeer.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the P2P network is amanaged network, the first peer receives at least one network operationpolicy from a server peer and the first peer selects the primary IPaddress according to the at least one network operation policy.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first peer provides the primary IPaddress to the second peer in a signaling stage.
 5. The method of claim3, wherein the first peer provides the at least one additional IPaddress to the second peer in a data transmission stage.
 6. The methodof claim 2, wherein the first peer provides an update of the at leastone additional IP address to the second peer in a data transmissionstage.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first peer receives anupdated network operation policy from the server peer for selecting theprimary IP address.
 8. A user equipment (UE) in a peer-to-peer (P2P)network, comprising: a processor configured such that the UE selects aprimary Internet Protocol (IP) address from plurality of IP addressesassociated with the UE and registers the primary IP address in the P2Pnetwork.
 9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the UE provides to a peer in theP2P network at least one additional IP address from the plurality of IPaddresses as an address available to the peer for use in communicatingwith the UE.
 10. The UE of claim 8, wherein, when the P2P network is amanaged network, the UE receives at least one network operation policyfrom a server peer and the UE selects the primary IP address accordingto the at least one network operation policy.
 11. The UE of claim 8,wherein the UE provides the primary IP address to a peer in the P2Pnetwork in a signaling stage.
 12. The UE of claim 9, wherein the UEprovides the at least one additional IP address to the peer in a datatransmission stage.
 13. The UE of claim 9, wherein the UE provides anupdate of the at least one additional IP address to the peer in a datatransmission stage.
 14. A user equipment (UE) in a peer-to-peer (P2P)network, comprising: a processor configured such that the UE receives aprimary Internet Protocol (IP) address from a peer in the P2P network,stores the primary IP address in a connection table associated with thepeer, and uses the primary IP address in communicating with the peer.15. The UE of claim 14, wherein the UE receives the primary IP addressin a signaling stage.
 16. The UE of claim 14, wherein the UE receives atleast one additional IP address from the peer in a data transmissionstage.
 17. A node in a managed peer-to-peer (P2P) network, comprising: aprocessor configured such that the node receives at least one networkoperation policy from a server peer in the P2P network, and configuredsuch that the node uses the at least one policy in selecting a primaryInternet Protocol (IP) address to be used by at least one peer in theP2P network in communicating with the node.
 18. The node of claim 17,wherein the node provides the primary IP address to the at least onepeer in a signaling stage.
 19. The node of claim 17, wherein the nodeprovides at least one additional IP address to the at least one peer ina data transmission stage.
 20. The node of claim 19, wherein the nodeprovides an update of the additional IP address to the at least one peerin the data transmission stage.
 21. A node in a managed peer-to-peer(P2P) network, comprising: a processor configured such that the nodesends at least one network operation policy to a peer in the P2Pnetwork, the at least one policy usable by the peer in selecting aprimary Internet Protocol (IP) address to be used by at least one othernode in the P2P network in communicating with the peer.
 22. The node ofclaim 21, wherein the node sends the policy to the peer when the peerjoins the P2P network.
 23. The node of claim 21, wherein the node sendsa policy update to the peer after the peer joins the P2P network.